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The local government and leaders from Karamoja have called for collective efforts in addressing the increasing rates of child labor in the country.
During the meeting of stakeholders in the education sector to discuss the status of child labor held in Kampala several issues including covid -19 were tagged as contributing factors to the vice
This meeting was organized by Uganda National Teachers Union
Byte Margaret Rwabushaija
Karamoja sub region is one of the regions with relatively increasing rates of child labor
During the COVID-19 lockdown when schools were closed for two years, many learners got recruited into child labor mainly in the mines hawking and grazing of cattle
Byte Markson Akol Ojao – Moroto District Education officer
Some engaged in pastoral migration and eventually ended up in Kenya as child laborers
In 2022 Uganda National Teachers Union launched the go back to school campaign in the Karamoja region which also established that many children who left school had already been indoctrinated into child labor activities
Filbert Baguma is the General Secretary of UNATU
Baguma says through the project dubbed “Work No Child Business”, was also implemented in other mining sub-counties of Tapac and Rupa in Moroto district
karamoja has some privately constructed schools some of which were built through partnerships but government has since not taken them up on aid
The rise was highly sparked by the two years covid-19 lockdown.
Before 2020 the percentage rate of child labor stood at 14% and 22 % after the covid-19 lock down and Eastern region suffered most.
Ambience
In Busoga, Boys were largely involved in child labor especially in plantations while girls suffered child marriages and pregnancies
According to Isma Kalanda the Principle labor officer at the Minister Gender, the rise in the child labor cases has affected the target on elimination of child labor by 2025
Byte
Several Recommendations have been made
The current number of children in labor stands at 6million across the country. Government will continue with the implementation of the National framework on elimination of worst forma of child labor.